What Is a Leadership Grid?

What Is a Leadership Grid?

Let me explain the Leadership Grid to you—it's a model of behavioral leadership that Robert Blake and Jane Mouton developed back in the 1960s. You might know it by its old name, the Managerial Grid. This model revolves around two behavioral dimensions: concern for production, which I plot on the X-axis from one to nine points, and concern for people, which goes on the Y-axis with the same scale.

From there, the model pinpoints five leadership styles based on their spots on this grid. In the examples I'll give, the first number shows the leader's concern for production, and the second is for people. These are Impoverished (1,1), Produce or Perish (9,1), Middle of the Road (5,5), Country Club (1,9), and Team (9,9).

Key Takeaways

Here's what you need to grasp about the Leadership Grid—it's a 1960s model for behavioral leadership that weighs concern for production against concern for people. The grid outlines five leader types: Impoverished, Produce or Perish, Middle of the Road, Country Club, and Team. According to the model's creators, the Team approach stands out as the most effective leadership form.

Understanding the Leadership Grid

You should understand that the Leadership Grid shows how overemphasizing one area while ignoring the other can hinder productivity. The model suggests that the Team leadership style, with strong concern for both production and people, can enhance employee productivity.

I see some benefits in using the Leadership Grid, like its capacity to measure performance and allow self-analysis of your own leadership style. Businesses and organizations still apply it today.

That said, there are limitations to consider. For instance, it might lead to a flawed self-assessment because it relies on minimal empirical data to back its effectiveness. The model also overlooks various factors, such as the work environment and internal or external variables that could influence outcomes.

Types of Behaviors Found on the Leadership Grid

Let's look at the Impoverished or Indifferent style—it's where leaders show little regard for the team or production overall. Their focus is mainly on self-preservation, avoiding any actions that could backfire on them.

Then there's the Produce or Perish style, which zeros in on production with a harsh disregard for the workers' needs. Leaders like this might face high turnover because of their control obsession and neglect of the team.

The Middle of the Road approach tries to balance the team's needs with the organization's production demands, but neither gets fully addressed. This often results in average or below-average team performance and satisfaction.

With the Country Club style, the leader prioritizes the team's needs above all else. They assume that team happiness will automatically boost productivity, but that's not always the case.

Finally, the Team approach is what the Leadership Grid's creators call the most effective. Here, the leader commits to empowering staff and increasing productivity. By fostering teamwork, the idea is that workers will be motivated to achieve more.